treasures they had
carried off. But although a great many of the poor, miserable,
unfortunate citizens were captured and brought back to the town, there
was found upon them very little money, and but few jewels or ornaments
of value. And now L'Olonnois began to prove how much worse his presence
was than any other misfortune which could have happened to the town. He
tortured the poor prisoners, men, women, and children, to make them tell
where they had hidden their treasures, sometimes hacking one of them
with his sword, declaring at the same time that if he did not tell where
his money was hidden he would immediately set to work to cut up his
family and his friends.

The cruelties inflicted upon the inhabitants by this vile and beastly
pirate and his men were so horrible that they could not be put into
print. Even John Esquemeling, who wrote the account of it, had not the
heart to tell everything that had happened. But after two weeks of
horror and torture, the pirates were able to get but comparatively
little out of the town, and they therefore determined to go somewhere
else, where they might do better.

At the southern end of Lake Maracaibo, about forty leagues from the town
which the pirates had just desolated and ruined, lay Gibraltar, a
good-sized and prosperous town, and for this place L'Olonnois and his
fleet now set sail; but they were not able to approach unsuspected and
unseen, for news of their terrible doings had gone before them, and
their coming was expected. When they drew near the town they saw the
flag flying from the fort, and they knew that every preparation had been
made for defence. To attack such a place as this was a rash undertaking;
the Spaniards had perhaps a thousand soldiers, and the pirates numbered
but three hundred and eighty, but L'Olonnois did not hesitate. As usual,
he had no thought of bombardment, or any ordinary method of naval
warfare; but at the first convenient spot he landed all his men, and
having drawn them up in a body, he made them an address. He made them
understand clearly the difficult piece of work which was before them;
but he assured them that pirates were so much in the habit of conquering
Spaniards that if they would all promise to follow him and do their
best, he was certain he could take the town. He assured them that it
would be an ignoble thing to give up such a grand enterprise as this
simply because they found the enemy strong and so well prepared to meet
the